Self-Portrait, 1983 is an intriguing two-panel work by Jean-Michel, perceived by some as a metaphor for personal transcendence. Phillips builds on this perspective: "As one of Jean-Michel Basquiat's most compelling depictions of himself, Self-Portrait, 1983 presents a metaphysical subject on two related panels. The full-length representation of the artist is juxtaposed with an adjacent panel portraying both his personal incantation, 'To Repel Ghosts', and his characterization of the passage from the material to the eternal. Jean-Michel Basquiat integrated the subject of transcendence into many of his most important artistic contributions. It underlies works as diverse as Untitled, 1981, Broad Collection, Notary, 1983, Schorr Collection, Tuxedo, 1983, and Pegasus, 1987. In each of these works Basquiat alludes to the transformative experience—a rite of passage from the transitory nature of phenomenal experience to the realization of a more fundamental state of being." Artwork: Jean-...